The number of visitors in hotels and other accommodation establishments in Q1 of this year comprised 301.3 thousand people. That is 5.9% more than in Q1 of 2012.Of which 34.3% were residents of Latvia and 65.7% – foreign tourists. Previously share of visitors was similar. The number of foreign visitors grew by 9.3%, while number of Latvian visitors remained almost the same (decrease of 0.2%), if compared to Q1 of the previous year.

162.5 thousand or 82.1% of the total number of foreign visitors stayed in Riga, 7.0% – in Jurmala and 1.5% – in Liepaja. The highest share of the Latvian travellers stayed in Riga – 29.8%, Liepaja – 10.0% and Jurmala – 8.6%.

The total number of overnight stays in hotels and other accommodation establishments in Q1 reached 671.6 thousand, and it is 9.9% more than in the same period of previous year. Foreign visitors on average stayed 2.3 nights – 5% more than during the corresponding period of previous year. Compared to the same period of previous year it comprises increase of 5%.

At the end of Q1 14.6 thousand rooms and 33.0 thousand beds were available in the accommodation establishments. Number of rooms and beds not available in low season is not included in the total number.

Total room occupancy in Latvia in the first quarter of this year varied between 33% to 35%. The highest room occupancy was in March in Latvia in general – 35.2%, and in Riga – 44.4%. Analysing hotel occupancy rate by stars granted, the highest room occupancy was in Riga’s five-star hotels with 53.1% in March.

As compared to Q1 of the previous year, the number of tourists from neighbouring countries has increased: from Belarus – by 41.8%, from Russia – by 24.6%, from Lithuania – by 22.8% and from Estonia – by 18.7%. From countries depicted below for the longest period of time in Latvian accommodation establishments stayed visitors from Belarus (4.2 nights), Norway (2.4 nights) and the Great Britain (2.4 nights).

Ref: 102.109.109.7443

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